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1. Cortland Summer Fest at Cortland Park, 70 S. Llanos St., in Cortland runs Friday, Aug. 13 through Sunday, Aug. 15 presented by the Cortland Fire Department.
$5 entry for adults 21 and over. Enjoy live music, food and fun for the whole family.
Gates open at 4 p.m. Friday for the music stage with fireworks at dusk, and 11 a.m. Saturday. Free family activities from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday will include RC car racing, bounce houses, a mechanical bull, face painting, crafts, a bean bag toss, relay races and more.
Gates open at 10 a.m. Sunday, and a car and motorcycle show will go from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a meat raffle and corn on the cob.
To see full music lineup and stage entertainment, visit www.cortlandil.org.
2. Northern Illinois Steam Power Club presents Annual Steam Show and Threshing Bee at Taylor Marshall Farm, 27707 Lukens Road in Sycamore Aug. 12 through 15.
Bring the whole to Sycamore for the annual Steam Show, with admission $7 for adults, children and under get in free and senior citizens get in for $5 on Thursday. Tickets may be purchased at the gate, cash is accepted, and show admission is included in Club Membership.
A daily parade begins at 1:30 p.m., and the three-day event will feature a small scale steam railroad, a 4H petting zoo, a sawmill, flour mill, baling straw, and a 250 horsepower Corliss Steam engine, along with souvenirs, food and a flea market.
For more information, visit: www.sycamoresteamshow.com/steamshow
3. 50 Men Who Can Cook Annual fundraiser for CASA of DeKalb County on Saturday, Aug. 14 from 6 to 9 p.m. at NIU’s Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center, 231 N. Annie Glidden Road, DeKalb
Open to the public, this is a great chance to support CASA of DeKalb County’s work of advocating for abused and neglected children.
This is the 17th annual 50 Men Who Cook. The evening includes a sampling of home-cooked favorites, cash bar, entertainment, and raffle prizes. Format of the event for 2021 is subject to change depending on COVID-19 restrictions.
Buy tickets here ($40 per ticket or two for $70): www.casadekalb.org/50menwhocook/ or mail a check payable to CASA to 406 W. State St. #6, Sycamore, IL 60178, or purchase one at the Egyptian Theatre Box Office Tuesday through Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m.
4. DeKalb County Barn Tour heads to Somonauk, Sandwich on Saturday, Aug. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The official starting point is at 14030 Chicago Road in Somonauk, will feature an historic country church.
The Barn Tour is a self-guided tour, starting at any site. Tickets cost $25 for a carload, which includes one guide book with a tour map. Visitors will tour barns at each site, talk with owners, and learn about the history on the property. Visitors can move at their own pace and take photographs.
The sites include a mid-1800s church, the first church built in DeKalb County. Other sites include a completely refurbished barn now decorated for family entertainment, including two bars; a popular horse stable; and “Centennial Farms” that have been family-owned for at least 100 years.
There will be numerous farm related activities that will continue throughout the day. Several vendors will sell a variety of items and a pork chop lunch can be purchased.
The DeKalb County Barn Tour is a fundraiser for the Joseph F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center and the DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association. More information can be found on the “Barn Tour of DeKalb County IL” Facebook page.
Advance tickets can be purchased at www.dekalbcountybarntour.org or at any of the sites on the day of the event.
5. Closing Night for the DeKalb Municipal Band’s 167th summer season on Tuesday, Aug. 17 at the Dee Palmer Band Shell at Hopkins Park in DeKalb.
Featuring vocalist Deanna Tausch to close out the band’s 2021 season. Free and open to the public.
For 167 consecutive seasons the DeKalb Municipal Band has played on. It has become known as the longest continuous playing band in Illinois. The band was originally formed in 1854 when a group of musicians returned to DeKalb from the California Gold Rush after an unsuccessful attempt to strike it rich. They were organized as the DeKalb Silver Cornet Band and the music began its long journey to present day.
For more information, visit www.dekalbmunicipalband.com/
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